In 1910 Walker was commissioned to create a full-size sculpture of Florence Nightingale that would function as the Crimean War Memorial in Waterloo Place, London. This is Walker’s small-scale version of the work.

English nurse, hospital reformer and humanitarian, Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) was the founder of trained nursing as a profession for women. She is best known for her tireless work during the Crimean War, when she is said to have revolutionised British military medical care by increasing standards for sanitation and nutrition, thus dramatically reducing mortality rates.